Hundred percent Black-owned chemical plant receives R120 million from the government to produce caustic soda in KZN
An R120 million chemical plant was launched in KZN today, Thursday, 1 September, in a bid to boost economic growth.KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube, who presided over the launch of the 47% caustic soda liquid dissolution and blending plant at the Dube TradePort Special Economic Zone in La Mercy, “Today’s launch of Synergy Blenders’ R120 million chemical manufacturing plant has rekindled optimism and proved determination in the face of a global pandemic, tough economic headwinds, and millions of job losses”.Premier Dube-Ncube was joined by the MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Siboniso Duma during the launch. Premier Dube-Ncube added: “We meet at a time when our province and country is facing huge challenges but there is great opportunity and promise. Our province was tested severely by the July 2021 civil unrest and piled on top of that, was the devastating floods. Today signals renewed hope”.The Premier outlined measures that government has made to drive economic growth, highlighting that locating the plant within the Dube TradePort Special Economic Zone will ensure efficiencies in the operations of Synergy Blenders while reducing the logistics costs of the imported raw material.
chemical plant, “What Synergy Blenders is launching today is a manufacturing plant that will produce a chemical product used as an input of a variety of sectors from Pulp and Paper to Textiles and Mining. With only three established producers of 47% caustic soda liquid in the country, the local manufacturing of caustic soda is currently unable to meet the demand and hence an average of 370 000 tons is imported into the country annually.”“This highlights the potential for growth for this development by Synergy Blenders, which marks yet another step towards growing the economy of KwaZulu-Natal. As the Provincial Government, we are looking forward to seeing increased competition in the space and anticipating a locally produced product that is of a high-quality meeting international standards, yet cost-effective for the benefit of the market and other stakeholders in the value chain,” said Premier Dube-Ncube. The Premier reaffirmed that as the province embarks on the journey of economic recovery, chief among the key priorities is creating a nurturing environment for businesses throughout the value chains of key sectors of our economy.
Source: This news is originally published by thesouthafrican